Más allá de su valor económico, cultural y gastronómico, la vitivinicultura bien gestionada está demostrando ser una herramienta eficaz para frenar la propagación del fuego y proteger tanto el entorno natural como la seguridad de las comunidades rurales. La Comisión Europea (CE) y distintos Estados miembros están impulsando iniciativas que integran esta función estratégica en sus políticas agrícolas, medioambientales y de protección civil, en coherencia con la reciente reforma del sector vitivinícola. 

he Fire Wine project, part of the EU-funded FIRE-RES initiative under Horizon 2020, is testing how vineyards can help reduce fire risk while also benefiting producers. Started in Catalonia, the project now includes wine regions in Spain, France, Portugal and Italy. It supports producers who use land management practices such as vegetation clearing, buffer strip maintenance and collaboration with local forestry services.

Currently, major cities, especially those in the Mediterranean, are witnessing an increased risk of severe wildfires due to meteorological and climatic conditions, as well as the current state of the surrounding forests. A study by CREAF proposes restoring 17,000 hectares of crops and pastures to reduce fire connectivity in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region. There are already initiatives working on this, such as Ramats de foc and Fire Wine-Wines of Fire, though in other areas of Catalonia.

El Escarabajo Verde dedicates this episode to exploring the coordinated European strategy of the FIRE-RES project, which aims to anticipate megafires and strengthen landscape resilience.

The Vins de Foc label is a European project led by the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), which transforms vineyards into natural firebreaks, creating resilient landscapes and protecting the territory from wildfires.

The Fire Wines initiative, led by the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia, aims to involve wineries in improving landscape management.